


Tomorrow Will be Kinder

by jessieremix



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 14:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18967423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessieremix/pseuds/jessieremix
Summary: Hazel is a teenage girl who has just moved to the small and quiet town of Burgess. When she stumbles across youthful Jamie, she get's something she wasn't expecting from her sudden move across country. A friend. As the two get closer during their time spent as neighbors, Jamie finally decides to open up a conversation he's been avoiding. The guardians. Even older, Jamie's belief for them has not wavered in the slightest. Unfortunately, the other kids in Burgess have lost faith in their childhood heroes. Jamie is once again, the last light in Burgess.





	Tomorrow Will be Kinder

There was the noise of the key in the lock and then the door swung open, not slowly like the front door to the old house in Nebraska, but fast and with enough force to drive the door in the plaster opposite.

I stood, my breathing suspended. Entering the empty house was like stepping into an alien world. The rose tinctured fresh air giving way to the stronger smell of lemon scented bleach. The empty floors seemed absurd, something out of a movie. My parents had been out to see the house just a few weeks ago, but I had been subjected to nothing but promises and online pictures.

It was different than the old house. This house was new. Very new. It looked like it had been finished last week. Almost too new in a strange way. It was as if it had rolled off a production line, still neatly polished and glistening. The outside wasn't intimidating like I expected. It was actually far more welcoming than the inside. A white picket fence, potted flowers under the windowsill, and a neat cobblestone path leading to the backyard.

The inside however, was much bigger than could be estimated. The bare hard wood stretched past what looked possible from the outside. Sunlight filtered in through the huge, broad windows, decorating the naked floor.

As I walked into the kitchen, every step echoed due to the complete lack of furniture. The walls threw back the sound of my footsteps, enlarging them as if I were a husky man in size 12 boots instead of a 16-year-old girl in fluffy dark brown moccasins.

I ran my hand over the kitchen wall tiles, each one of them a smooth and sleek peach. I could just see dark brown hair poking up over the island counter where my dad was on his knees, cleaning like he meant to scrub the world away, not once looking up to see who had entered the house.

He grinned upon seeing me, adjusting his glasses. "Do you like it?"

Mustering up a smile, I shrugged. "It's... different."

"Different can be good though, right?" My dad fidgeted with the dirty cloth in his hand, his grin faltering.

"Definitely," I gave a convincing bob of my head.

He let out a sigh of relief, the crowfeet by the sides of his eyes showing as his original happy expression returned. "Good, good. I'm glad you like it. Trust me, Hazel, this house'll make you forget about Nebraska."

Despite the sinking of my heart, I tried to look positive.

I'd grown up in Nebraska. It wasn't really something that I wanted to forget.

When I told him it was different, I meant _really_  different. The old house was much smaller, and had a cabin feel throughout it. It used to belong to my dad's parents. It was kind of cheesy and quirky, with a forest theme in most of the rooms , but I loved it. It wasn't just a house, it was home. 

My mom didn't appreciate the woods as much as us though, so she made me keep his stuff in the den, which made it my favorite room. 

Even with my dad's photos of the woods, nearby waterfalls, and wild life banking the walls so much you could barely see the dark green wall paper. There was a woven rug of a pack of wolves running through water sprawled out in front of the TV and a lamp that's lampshade had shadows of moose and eagles. It might have helped that my dad was the Biology teacher at the high school.

His voice called me back from my memories.

"I know it's not Nebraska, but Pennsylvania has a lot of opportunities for your mother!" He said, as if I hadn't already listened to him attempting to hype up our move during the months of planning. "Job opportunities for both of us, and we'll be closer to your mom's family."

"I guess," Is the most I could say honestly.

My dad put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Don't tell me you don't miss visiting your Pop-Pop. You guys can play scrabble like you used to."

I didn't have the heart to tell him Pop-Pop and I haven't played since I was 7.

"I'm nearly positive I'll be able to beat him this time," I managed to laugh.

My dad rustled a hand through my dark hair. "Now, have you seen the backyard? It's bigger than the old house! Maybe we can convince your mom to get a dog. Go take a look!"

He was right, as usual. The yard was huge, flawless green grass sprouting wherever there wasn't a crop of plants surrounded by neat sandy bricks. Off to the right was a small green house, perfect for my mother's need to have only the best vegetables and fruit.

I sat, admiring the yard when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something. There was a boy in it.

Squinting to get a better look, I got up from the cold stone bench and slowly crept toward where he was.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked the boy, gently tapping on his shoulder.

He spun around, practically jumping out of his skin.

"Oh, hey!" He gave me a warm smile, his cheeks matching the pink his nose was from the cold. "I usually cut through the yard to get to my house. I didn't realize anyone lived here. It's been empty for years." The boy explained, gesturing to the gate connecting our yards.

"We just moved in," I said, turning to glimpse at the house for a brief second to see the lights turn on for the first time.

He perked up at this, grinning widely. "Guess you're new to the neighborhood, huh? I'm Jamie, by the way." Jamie extended his hand toward me. No, not a hand, but a closed fist. A weird way to greet someone but as we touched knuckles I knew it could only mean one thing. We're in this together. 

"Hazel," I said as he fiddled with the quarter hanging by a black string around his neck. I couldn't help but to return the strangers happy expression. He had a warm, genuine smile and bright amber eyes.  

"Since you're new, you should come to Burgess's annual winter carnival tomorrow. It takes place on the first of December," He says, ruffling snow out of the hood and the lining grey fluff of his green parka. "I can introduce you to some people that go to the high school here and afterwards show you around town. You're starting class on Monday, right?"

I nodded, not quite sure where his kindness was coming from. 

"Great!" He fist bumped the air. "It opens in the afternoon, but the lights on the rides don't turn on until 5. I'll see you there."

"Oh, and," Jamie turned around, his white teeth making another appearance. "Welcome to Burgess!"


End file.
